14-year-old Sierra Lillie has been found in Arkansas and should be back in Erie by the time you read this. She had befriended a 20-year-old Montana man and was travelling with him. The man, Donald Ray Cates, is facing charges of forcing underage girls to have sex with him.
Sluggers Sports Bar and Grill is now open in downtown Erie. They’re located on 10th street between State and French, near the Uht and the Lou. To celebrate the opening, ErieBlogs, along with Sluggers, will be giving one reader a $25 gift certificate so you can go and get some great food at Sluggers. Enter here!
This weekend was the first for trout fishing. If you went out, we hope you caught a bunch.
The video of the Erie police officer is making national news. This weekend the video was picked up on CNN and other outlets, and the head of the NAACP, Benjamin Jealous, along with several local pastors, is calling for James Cousins II to resign his position. Press and Tower has more on this.
Ed Palatella had a front page story in yesterday’s Erie Times-News saying that two national police investigations have criticized the Erie Police Department for having Cousins take an active role in the investigation.
We’d agree that it would be hard to get a fair and impartial investigation with the officer being investigated being part of the group of officials investigating this incident. Imagine if a baseball player was caught using steroids and that same player took part in proceedings to determine if he should be suspended. Sounds strange to us. Why is Mayor Joe Sinnott allowing this investigation to continue with Cousins serving as a key part of it? This op-ed from Sunday’s Erie Times-News does a good job of summing up our feelings.
Here’s the report from CNN:
What do you think about this whole thing?
Moving on…Three Dog Night have been announced as the headlining act on Saturday night at this summer’s CelebrateErie, which will be August 14-16. Jeremiah = stunned.
On Friday, May 1, 2009, ArtsErie will host Passport to Barcelona, the follow-up to last year’s successful Passport to Paris benefit event. Passport to Barcelona will transform the Warner Theatre into the streets of dynamic Barcelona, Spain – complete with artists, cuisine, music, dancers and more. Funds raised are invaluable to promoting the programs of ArtsErie and supporting the arts in Erie. Tickets are $65.00 each, while corporate tables of 8 are available for $500. The event includes plentiful tapas-style hors d’oeuvres and one beverage per person. Additional beverages are available at the complimentary sangría bar and a cash bar. Casual chic attire is suggested; Spanish attire welcome.
A Millcreek Township resident who had a prominent role in the controversy over the handling of military prosecutions at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be at Gannon University for a guest lecture on Wednesday, April 22. The lecture, to be given by Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in room 2005 of the University’s Palumbo Academic Center, 824 Peach St. It is free and open to the public.
As part of the April observance of Autism Awareness Month, Mercyhurst College will host a presentation on “Students with High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome” by Tom Kitchen, MS, BCBA. Kitchen will speak Tuesday, April 28, at 8 p.m. in Mercyhurst’s Walker Recital Hall; his talk is free and open to the public.
An employee of Nike who worked on gear for athletes competing in last summer’s Beijing Olympics will be at Gannon University for a guest lecture. The lecture will be given by Brad W. Wilkins, Ph.D., a member of the Nike Sports Research Lab in Beaverton, Ore. Wilkins’ lecture, “Maximizing Potential for Every Athlete: the Science behind Performance,” will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23 in room 104 of the Zurn Science Center, 143 West 7th St. The lecture is open to the public.
Pat Toomey, announced candidate for U.S. Senate and former president and CEO of The Club for Growth, America’s leading limited-government free-enterprise advocacy group, will speak at the Manufacturer & Business Association starting at noon Friday, May 1, at the Association’s Conference Center, 2171 West 38th Street. Registration begins at 11:45 a.m. To register for this briefing, contact Tracy Shepard at 814/833-3200 or 800/815-2660. Cost is $30 for members; $60 for nonmembers; and includes lunch.
Sports
The SeaWolves fell behind early on Sunday afternoon at Blair County Ballpark and could never rebound, losing by a score of 6-4 in the series finale against the Altoona Curve. The Wolves stay on the road and begin a 3 game series against Bowie tonight. Game time is 7:05 p.m.
The Mercyhurst College women’s water polo team saw its season come to end with an 11-10 loss to cross-town rival Gannon in the third place game of the 2009 Collegiate Water Polo Association Western Division Championship Sunday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind.
